rent-seeking

American  

[rent-see-king] / ˈrɛntˌsi kɪŋ /

Or rent seeking

noun

Economics.

1. the act or process of using one’s assets and resources to increase one’s share of existing wealth without creating new wealth.

2. (specifically) the act or process of exploiting the political process or manipulating the economic environment to increase one’s revenue or profits.

   Rent-seeking by lobbyists succeeded in obtaining favorable tariff treatment for the company’s exports.

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Other Word Forms

• rent-seeker noun

Etymology

Origin of rent-seeking

First recorded in 1970–75; (economic) rent + seeking

Example Sentences

“Like a lot of things on Wall Street, I think it exposed a lot of unfairness, a lot of rent-seeking and a lot of regulatory capture. And I think those things really resonated.”

From Barron's • Jan. 23, 2026

"They're not heavily enforced, but they create ample opportunities for rent-seeking," Naveed Mehmood Ahmad, co-author of the study at Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy, told me.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2025

But since the charity stopped using it, he said, the building had become a target for rent-seeking syndicates.

From Reuters • Sep. 2, 2023

Later, the tool was itself hijacked by corporations and special interests, as well as twisted into a rent-seeking factory by mercenaries like Eyman.

From Seattle Times • Jul. 13, 2022

The state and the oligarchs continue to represent a rent-seeking opportunity.

From Russian Roulette: Russia's Economy in Putin's Era by Vaknin, Samuel